The selection of the host city was announced on April 16, 2015 in Beijing.[4][5] Eugene was selected without a traditional bidding process, though Eugene did put in a bid for the 2019 World Championships, losing to Qatar.[2]

The Guardian reported that the lack of bidding triggered concern in European cities that had bid to host the event.[3]
They quoted Lamine Diack, IAAF president, who justified the lack of bidding with the claim the selection of Eugene to host the event, "enables us to take advantage of a unique opportunity to host a financially successful tournament that may never arise again.” The lack of bidding for the 2021 event was not unprecedented. The 2007 World Championship was awarded to Osaka, Japan, without bidding.